Who would have thought that the taste of crunchy cauliflower mixed with salty cashews and sweet peas would taste so perfect together! The velvety texture of the salad dressing mixed with peas and cauliflower is full of flavor! This cauliflower salad is perfect for a side dish and super fast and easy to make!
We all have those recipes from our childhood that stay in our mind as we grow older and are a part of our "go to" recipes. Like my chicken salad recipe, this spaghetti sauce and this classic potato salad recipe. Well, this cauliflower salad is another one of those recipes. And it's perfect for hot summer days. When you want something light and simple, this easy cauliflower pea salad is the way to go!
My mom used to make this cauliflower salad recipe when I was a little girl. I remember the first time she asked me to try a bite after she made a fresh batch and I'm like, nope. It has cauliflower and peas in it. I was around 8 years old but because she was my mom, I took a bite to be her taste tester.
And it was FABULOUS!
I fell in love with this cauliflower salad that day. And I've been making it ever since.
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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. This is one of those summer salads that is quick and easy to whip up. It makes a lot and will last in your refrigerator for 3-4 days.
2. It's low carb and keto friendly! This keto salad is a huge crowd pleaser!
3. The perfect side dish, this cauliflower salad with peas pairs well with any meat and is a great dish for an afternoon picnic!
4. This is a cauliflower pea salad that contains 5 simple ingredients. There is no cooking and no baking involved!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Cauliflower - use a fresh head of cauliflower and cut it finely into bite-sized pieces.
- Onion - finely chopped yellow onion works best and adds a lot of flavor.
- Peas - use frozen peas to ensure the salad does not get mushy. Once thawed, the texture holds up extremely well.
- Mayonnaise - adds a creamy texture and velvety finish after every bite.
- Cashews - use salted cashew halves to add a bit of crunch and salt flavor.
- Salt & Pepper - adds additional flavor.
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!
📋 Variations
- Onions - use a Vidalia onion to add a hint of sweetness. If you love the taste of onion and want more flavor, try using a red onion or a shallot.
- Additional Vegetables - diced celery, carrots, and corn are great additions.
- Jalapeño - if you like a bit of spice, add some finely chopped jalapeño.
- Mayonnaise - Use real mayonnaise, not miracle whip.
- Cauliflower Rice - for best results, use small diced pieces of freshly chopped cauliflower rice. Using cauliflower rice will make this cauliflower salad mushy.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Add the chopped cauliflower, chopped onions, frozen peas, cashew halves, and mayonnaise into a large bowl. Add in a dash of salt and pepper for extra flavor.
Step 2: Stir all the ingredients together with a large spoon until everything is well combined.
Step 3: Serve immediately. And...that's all it takes to make this easy cauliflower salad recipe. A no stress recipe that makes for a great side salad. This is one of the best salads you will ever make!
🙋 Recipe FAQs
Make sure you cut the cauliflower into really small bite sized florets. The texture of this recipe is amazing but you also want to make sure you are eating bite size pieces. Nothing is worse than biting into a salad and the cauliflower is massive and hard to bite into and chew. Nobody likes that so make sure you cut the cauliflower into bite size pieces.
Yes, it can be made 1 day ahead of time.
It needs to be chilled.
💭 Expert Tips
- While I like to go light on the mayonnaise with this recipe, my husband tends to be a bit heavy handed. I tend to yield to the ¼ cup mayonnaise so it barely coats the other ingredients. Start with ¼ cup and add more if that is your preference.
- I love the texture of this dish. It know it sounds a bit weird to add frozen peas to this dish, but those little frozen guys make this dish delicious. They provide a nice crunch and hold up in this salad so much better than mushy canned peas.
- This recipe is perfect to serve at a picnic. I also like eating it with my lunch, for a snack, or as a side dish with dinner.
- The vegetables in this recipe are meant to be raw so make sure you don't cook them.
- Keep this cauliflower salad refrigerated and covered in a container with a lid. It will last for 3-4 days.
🥗 More Salad Recipes
If you tried this cauliflower salad or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
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Cauliflower Salad with Peas and Cashews
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup salted cashew nuts, halves
- ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower to small bite size pieces and wash thoroughly.
- Add 1 cup of frozen peas, 1 head of chopped cauliflower, ½ cup cashew halves, ¼ cup chopped onions, and ¼ cup mayonnaise to a large bowl and stir until well combined.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately. Keep chilled and store any leftover in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- While I like to go light on the mayonnaise with this recipe, my husband tends to be a bit heavy handed. I tend to yield to the ¼ cup mayonnaise so it barely coats the other ingredients. Start with ¼ cup and add more if that is your preference.
- It know it sounds a bit weird to add frozen peas to this dish, but those little frozen guys make this dish delicious. They provide a nice crunch and hold up in this salad so much better than mushy canned peas.
- This dish is perfect to serve at a picnic. I also like eating it with my lunch, for a snack, or as a side dish with dinner.
- The vegetables in this recipe are meant to be raw so make sure you don't cook the ingredients before making the salad.
- Keep this one refrigerated and covered in a container with a lid. This will last for 3-4 days.
Mark Connolly
This is really a terrific recipe. Who would have thought a salad with cauliflower.I think I could serve it as a potato salad and nobody would know until they ate it.
But I made this just after the 4th celebration. So I cleaned out the frig - added (all) diced celery, carrots (for color), jalapeno (1) and leftover corn. Yum!!
I think this could also be done nicely with broccoli!
Amanda Mason
I'm so glad to hear that you loved it and that it turned out so well for you! Love the additions!
Jan S.
Only concern is that the dressing does not drizzle as mentioned in the recipe. It is very thick.
Amanda Mason
Where do you see that? There is no mention of drizzling dressing in this recipe.
Linda Z
I love this recipe! I’ve made about 5-6 times this summer.
Amanda Mason
Yeah Linda!! I'm SO glad you love it!! It's one of my favorites, as well!!!
Lawanda Uribe
I can't find my physical recipe which I think included ranch dressing and maybe sour cream. Can you tell me the measurements and which ingredients? Thank you
Amanda Mason
Hi Lawanda! All the measurements and ingredients are in the recipe card toward the bottom of the post. I hope that helps!
Beth
We love this!! Even my husband who has sworn for years he doesn’t like peas. Frozen peas are so much different from canned. I used green onion because I was out of regular, and I added chopped green pepper because I had some from the garden I needed to use. Also, I had the cashews on the side so they wouldn’t get soggy when we refrigerated the leftovers. We just add the cashews on our individual servings. For a potluck, I’d mix them in but at home we don’t like how soggy they get if we have leftovers. This is a wonderful, refreshing side dish!
Amanda Mason
I am so glad you love it, Beth!! I love the green pepper and green onion add! And the cashews hold up so well in the salad. It's a hit!
Jennifer T Tammy
My daughter loves potato and pea salad, and cashews, so I think this would go over like gangbusters! Thanks!
Amanda Mason
Yeah! I'm so glad!!! Enjoy!!
Sara
Healthy, easy and delicious. Doesn't get better then this. Thank you very much.
Amanda Mason
Enjoy it! My kid even like this one so you know its good when kids eat it!!
Susan
I really want to make this but what is "1/2 can" of cashews? I buy nuts in bulk. Can you translate into cups or ounces?
Amanda Mason
Oh - sorry about that! I use about 1/2 a cup to 3/4 cup of cashews. I'll go edit that to make it clearer!